By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – At least three people, including a rabbi, were killed and five others wounded in a shooting attack at the entrance to Jerusalem for which Hamas claimed responsibility.
Rabbi Elimelech Wasserman, 73, who served as a rabbinical judge in the rabbinical court in Ashdod, was among the victims, Religious Services Minister Michael Malchieli.
A woman in her 60s and a 24-year-old woman were also killed in the attack, while three other people were seriously wounded, and two more were in light to moderate condition, officials said.
One of the women murdered in the attack was Chana Ifergan, the principal of Beis Yaakov Bnot Hadassah school in the Beit Shemesh neighborhood. Livia Dickman, a resident of Har Nof, was named as the third victim.
Police said “two terrorists” arrived at the Givat Shaul junction near the entrance to Jerusalem on Thursday morning and began firing at civilians at a nearby bus stop.
They were being shot and killed by security forces and a civilian who was at the scene, police added.
Hamas, deemed a terrorist organization by Israel, said the two attackers were part of the movement. It said the attack came as a “natural response to the occupation’s unprecedented crimes,” a reference to Israel, which it has pledged to destroy.
MUCH AMMUNITION
A large amount of ammunition was found in Hamas gunmen’s vehicle, according to investigators. Several hours after the attack, Israeli police raided the Nemer family’s home in Sur Baher, arresting six members of the family, including their siblings and parents, The Jerusalem Post newspaper reported.
Separately, two Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers were lightly wounded in a ramming attack at the Beka’ot Checkpoint in the Jordan Valley on Thursday afternoon, the IDF said. It added that the “suspected terrorist” was apprehended.
The attacks came shortly after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire was extended for another day in Gaza, with Qatar outlining its terms.
The announcement came after Hamas claimed three members of the Bibas family, including 10-month-old Kfir, had been killed in Israeli strikes before the ceasefire began. Israel said it was investigating the claims, which remain unverified.
The ceasefire extension resumes Friday after ten more Israeli hostages were freed under the truce agreement, while four Thais and two Russians were let go in separate deals.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned there was “no way we are not going back to fighting” Hamas once the ceasefire ends.
The head of the Israel Defense Forces said he had approved a new battle plan for when hostilities resume. Israel already said it killed three “terrorists” who “broke the terms of the ceasefire.”
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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